PSA – UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENT

What:   The Joy of Words, An Evening of Readings and Music
with Award-Winning Canadian Author Joy Kogawa

When:   Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Time:   7:30 to 9:00 pm

Where:  Christ Church Cathedral, 690 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Price:  Admission by donation

TLC The Land Conservancy of British
Columbia is pleased to host an evening of readings and music with
internationally recognized author Joy Kogawa on Tuesday, April 25, from 7:30 to
9:00 pm. Kogawa will read from her first novel, Obasan, recently re-released as a
Penguin Classic and listed as one of the “100 Most Important Canadian Books
Ever Written” in The Literary Review of
Canada in November 2005. Along with Joy, special celebrity guests will read
their favourite selections from the list.

Kogawa’s Obasan, published in 1981, describes
through the eyes of a young girl the life of her family before, during and
after the Japanese Canadian internment in 1942 and features Kogawa’s childhood
home. The struggle of the Japanese Canadian community for justice culminating
in the 1988 redress settlement is the subject of Emily Kato.

Over the years, Kogawa's
childhood home has become a symbol of lost hope and happiness and a central
image in her writings. Located in the Marpole neighbourhood of Vancouver, the
historic Joy Kogawa House is now threatened with demolition.

This event is part of TLC’s fundraising campaign to save
the house as a cultural landmark for all Canadians. Once protected, the house
will be a used as a writing retreat, enabling new writers to create works
focusing on human rights issues. It will also be open for public and school
tours to educate people about
the Japanese Canadian experience during World War II.